Warhammer: The Old World – ‘Arcane Journals’ Are Options You’ll Want To Use
These aren’t your typical Battletome or codex. Arcane Journals are a new breed of Warhammer Supplement.
Games Workshop is trying some new types of releases with Warhammer: The Old World. Not only are we getting two new style Starter Sets we’re also getting some new style releases. One such example are the new Arcane Tombs which have a lot of folks wondering “what the heck are these things?” The good news is that GW has an explainer on that.
“Arcane Journals are softback supplements that are designed to work alongside the army lists in Forces of Fantasy and Ravening Hordes, containing supplementary background and imagery, and additional rules that complement these details through extra equipment, special characters, and army lists.”
Arcane Journals Are Optional…Sort of
The first thing that I want to call out about these books is that they are not required to play. All the rules you need are already included with their respective army lists. If you grab your respective big book you’re set and ready to go.
Either Forces of Fantasy or Ravening Hordes
So what’s the point of these Arcane Journals then? They provide you with some additional options to play with.
“Arcane Journals do provide different ways to play and new ways to build your force via themed army lists with their own mustering rules. These Armies of Infamy differ from the main list in meaningful ways: due to their geographical location, the unique tactics employed by certain generals, or the formation of historical retinues for notable characters.”
Not only do they have additional lore for their respective faction they also contain those alternate army options. One example for the Bretonnians is the Vow of the Exile:
These alternate options change the list up or army rules in a way that makes them play different. That’s the entire point. I think it would be kind of fun to play a “not-so-chivalric” Bretonnian army. The Tomb Kings also have some alternate options, too.
“The Tomb Kings can use rules found in their own Arcane Journal to field Nehekharan Royal Hosts, the elite retinue of an influential Tomb King or Prince. The monarchs who lead these armies are often tutored in the secret language of the Priests of the Mortuary Cult, while their legions of Skeleton and Tomb Guard Chariots pulverise their ruler’s enemies under hoof and wheel.”
On top of these extra rules and lore, the Arcane Journals also feature one historical recreation scenario to play around with. These Old World missions will have different mustering rules for the participating armies and will also have a battlefield map and special rules to match. These should be a fun and challenging option to try once the mission in the Core Book starts to wear on you a bit.
As an example, GW provided a free download for one such historical scenario: The Battle of Matorea.
These Arcane Journals are a neat idea. They feel kind of like something you might find in the Necromunda Apocrypha or something akin to Armies of Renown you’d find in the Age of Sigmar Dawnbringers book. These types of side options are good for their respective armies as they provide some alternate rules to play with. At launch Bretonnians and Tomb Kings will get their book. The other seven core factions will get their own versions in time.
One last note. If you’re interested in how the game is played or want to see it in action GW has released a free battle report on YouTube:
Give that a watch if you’re curious about the game itself!
What do you think of these optional rule additions?
